Laura's Secret: A Novel [Paperback]

Elsie M. Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 23, 2000

At thirteen, Laura enters service as a kitchen maid in Millfield Hall. The Mistress is soon enamored of her, promotes her to ladies' maid and gives her a magnificent brooch as a token of her affection. When Laura trains as a nurse after the outbreak of the Great War she is raped by a shell-shocked officer. This sets in motion a sequence of events that lead her to harbour a terrible secret by the time World War II breaks out.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elsie McMillian Young has added verisimilitude and excitement to this imaginative story of two nurses by drawing from her own experience as a nurse, and from her memories of World War II.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (May 23, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595096239
• ISBN-13: 978-0595096237
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,249,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sexy - but strangely moving!, July 8, 2000

By 

Tracey Thomas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laura's Secret: A Novel (Paperback)

Laura's Secret is written straight from the heart! Laura's story is both poignant and absorbingly interesting for what it reveals about love during two world wars. The explicit sexuality is surprising - but convincing. The author has not shied away from a realistic portrayal of passion in the lives of two nurses. The ending was touching. It made me cry!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you like Catherine Cookson then this is for you!, July 7, 2000

By 

Dylan Weston (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Laura's Secret: A Novel (Paperback)

This novel is so very reminiscent of Cookson but spiced with relatively graphic sexual situations. A young woman, who of low birth, through dint of her own virtues of hardwork and high moral ethic succeeds against life's odds and travails. However, here are two protagonists--both women--who succeed in spite of hardship. The period that encompases the novel is Edwardian (prior to 1914) and until after World War 2, and the setting England. Although it's an historical novel and a romance--it contains many elements that are different: the protagonists are women who are emancipated and career-minded without denying their need for love while never becoming simpering and dependent. They revel in their strength and take charge of their lives which are lived by a strong moral code based on the virtues of loyalty, integrity, courage, caring, kindness and good humor. It is a charming novel, an easy read and ideal for those summer days when one wants to travel--if not in reality then through the pages of an entertaining novel.